Once you know who you’ll be sharing your room with for the next year, it’s super helpful to reach out and try and get to know them a bit. This can begin to give you an idea of what living with them will be like, and make your first encounter in real life a little less awkward.

But… Don’t get too caught up in social media.

Once you know where you’re going to school, it’s easy to get carried away stalking the Instagrams of people you know that go there, get sucked down the rabbit hole, finding people who know them, and their friends, etc, and bombarded by all these perspectives of what it’s like there. Yes, this can be exciting and encouraging, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what your experience will be like. So take everything with a grain of salt and be ready to make your own path.

The same goes for meeting people online- it’s always super fun to connect with future classmates the summer before your first year, but be mindful that the people you meet online aren’t always going to be the people you become friends with once you arrive. This is not to say don’t make an effort to get to know them, just know that it’s not bad to branch out and away from those you thought you’d be friends with.

Do a purge.

I found it super useful to get rid of all the things I didn’t want anymore or wasn’t using, especially before college. It’s the perfect time to figure out what you want to keep, and what can go, not only to make room in your life for new things, but help clear your mind before a big life change. Also, so you’re not trying to jam a bunch of junk into your tiny dorm room.

Keep an open mind.

In general, be open to anything. Try and limit your expectations of what your college experience should or will be like, and just get excited to go live it. Who knows, maybe you’ll befriend someone you never thought you’d get along with, or find a new, unexpected passion for Frisbee. The possibilities are endless. Don’t limit them from the get go. Enjoy taking advantage of them, and enjoy this new experience!!